Two People Injured in Unintentional Shootings A 13-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to his hand in an accidental shooting in Waterloo, Iowa. He was treated at the hospital for the injury. Police found blood and a spent .380-caliber shell casing at the boy’s home, as they continue to investigate. And in Houston, Texas, an armed …
Category: Iowa
Adult Injury Child Death (18 and Under) Georgia Indiana Iowa Law Enforcement Action (At Time of Report) Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024
Four-year-old Boy Killed, Two Other People Wounded, in Accidental Shootings In Oskaloosa, Iowa, a four-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene from an accidental discharge. Few details have been reported in this ongoing investigation. A 27-year-old man was injured in an unintentional shooting in an apartment In Lafayette, Indiana. The gunshot wound between his neck and shoulder …
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2024
Man Shot Self Cleaning Gun In his home in Waterloo, Iowa, a man unintentionally shot himself in the leg when he took apart his gun to clean it. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. No charges have been filed. Source: Jeff Reinitz, “Waterloo Man Injured in Accidental Shooting While Cleaning Handgun,” wcfcourier.com (May 24, 2024).
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Connecticut Iowa Michigan Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2024
Four People Wounded in Unintentional Shootings A 6-year-old boy was playing with an unsecured gun he found in a home in Detroit, Michigan, and accidentally shot himself in the thumb. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. His grandmother was at home during the incident, but it is unclear who owns the gun. Charges may …
Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Iowa Louisiana Michigan Ongoing Investigation
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024
Four People Injured in Accidental Shootings A 17-year-old boy in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, was critically injured after shooting himself with a stolen gun. Charges will likely be filed once the investigation is completed. Little information has been reported about an accidental shooting in Marshalltown, Iowa, that injured one adult and one child. Both were taken to the hospital with …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Adult Injury California Indiana Iowa No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2024
Woman Killed, and Three Injured in Unintentional Shootings In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman was shot in a vehicle and died. Police say a man and a child were also in the car, and that the child accidentally shot the woman. The woman was a local schoolteacher. The school issued a statement saying they are “deeply …
Adult Injury Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Iowa Missouri Ongoing Investigation
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024
One Person Dead, Two Wounded, in Gun Accidents Today According to witnesses inside a home in St. Louis, Missouri, 15-year-old Dalton Escobar-Piatcheck was trying to load a gun when it unintentionally went off striking him in the head. He was seriously injured and died later at the hospital. In the restroom of a Brunswick, Georgia …
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2023
Two Hunters are Killed, and Two Boys are Wounded in Gun Accidents Seth Egelhoff, 26, was shot and killed while hunting waterfowl in Panora, Iowa. A member of Egelhoff’s hunting party accidentally shot him in the face. He died on the way to the hospital and authorities are investigating. Another hunting accident resulting in a …
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2023
Hunting Accidents Today: One Man Dies, and Heroic Boy is Injured In Seaboard, North Carolina, 34-year-old Chase Colas was shot and killed in a hunting accident. Few details are reported about the incident as the wildlife department continues to investigate. A friend set up a GoFundMe page and described Colas as “[g]enuinely one of the …
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2023
Man Shot and Killed While Hunting Coyotes While hunting coyotes in Hardin County, Iowa, 53-year-old Mark Arends was accidentally shot and killed. He was hunting with friends on private land and was shot around 8 p.m. Coyotes are nocturnal, so hunters often hunt them in the dark with night vision equipment. The friends were separated …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Colorado Illinois Indiana Iowa New Jersey New York No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation
TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2023
Six Gun Accidents Today A 3-year-old Trenton, New Jersey boy is in stable condition after shooting himself in the head with a gun brought into the home by 30-year-old Chante Odom. Two other children and an adult male were at home during the incident. Odom has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, …
Adult Arrested Alcohol and Guns Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Florida Iowa Louisiana Ongoing Investigation
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023
Three Teens Unintentionally Injured in Shootings After a 13-year-old St Petersburg, Florida boy reported that he had been shot while riding his bike, investigating police concluded that he had accidentally shot himself instead. The boy’s injuries are not considered life threatening and police are investigating where the boy got the gun. In Alexandria, Louisiana, an …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Police were called today when a Storm Lake, Iowa man accidentally shot himself inside an apartment. Police found that the man had shot himself in the hand and transported him to the hospital for treatment. No charges were filed. Source: “One Person Injured In Storm Lake Shooting Incident,” kicdam.com (September 27, 2022).
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Iowa Louisiana New York
MONDAY, MAY 16, 2022
Savannah Holmes, an Ankeny, Iowa four-year old shot herself in the face with her father’s gun. She later died at the hospital. According to the police, Savannah’s father responded to people pounding on the door by getting a gun and leaving it on the couch while going to get his son. Savannah got out of …
MONDAY, MAY 9, 2022
Ashley Cronan of Waterloo, Iowa was accidentally shot in the leg in an incident that, according to police, involved a convicted fellow behaving irresponsibly with a gun. Roy Stewart was arrested after the incident and charged with illegal possession. Cronan was an innocent bystander. “Detectives investigating the shooting interviewed several witnesses confirming that Stewart sustained …
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022
Larry Beeding, age 44, of Mediapolis, Iowa was charged with reckless use of a firearm and animal cruelty after shooting a round from his handgun at a dog inside a local home. The dog was killed. Another man was struck in the torso and Beeding was shot in the hand by the round that killed …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022
An Ankeny, Iowa man was arrested after accidentally shooting his roommate in the face. The man’s roommate has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. According to the report, the unidentified shooter was intoxicated and handling a .9mm pistol in a reckless manner when it went off. He was released on bond after being charged with reckless …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Iowa New York Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022
A Storm Lake, Iowa nine-year old was struck in the lower body by an accidentally fired handgun round today. Another child living in the home had found an unsecured gun and fired it. The child is expected to survive. Two children, an 11-month old in the Bronx, New York and a five-year old in Atlanta, …
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2021
Nathan Sharpnack, age 37, was accidentally killed while hunting in Marion County, Iowa. He and a large group of hunters were engaged in a deer drive when he was shot in the torso. There is an ongoing investigation and no other details are yet available. Also today, Jordan Griffey of Clark County, Missouri, accidentally shot …
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
In an illustration of how even an accidental shooting can lead to a vicious cycle of violence, four people in Des Moines, Iowa were injured when gunfire erupted at a vigil for an accidental shooting victim. The original accident occurred on March 6, 2021, when Thomas Ivy accidently shot and killed 16-year old Elijah Brown-Townsend …
Child Injury (18 and Under) Children and Guns Delaware Illinois Iowa Louisiana New York Ohio Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021
At least eight teenagers were injured in eight separate shooting incidents in the United States today. In light of minimal reporting, the circumstances of most of the incidents remain murky. Teens were shot in Chicago and Decatur, Illinois. The other incidents occurred in Iowa, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Delaware. As reported, the incidents …
THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021
Details are sketchy about a gun accident that left a person dead in Waterloo, Iowa today. No information about the circumstances of the accident or the age or identity of the victim have been released. The report of the shooting has only the following odd details: “The accidental shooting happened just days after the home …
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2021
In Des Moines Iowa, a man who was cleaning his gun accidentally shot and injured a neighbor. The man’s injuries do not appear to be life threatening. Sources: “Police: Man Accidentally Shoots Neighbor While Cleaning His Gun,” weareiowa.com (April 24, 2021).
SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2021
In an accident that appears to have been related to use of alcohol, a Cedar Falls, Iowa man was found on the street with a gunshot wound to his leg. Police applied a tourniquet until medical help arrived. Two other men were arrested at the scene of the accident, one on weapons charges and the …
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021
One man accidentally shot himself and another shot a teenager while cleaning their guns today. Typically, such accidents can be prevented with load indicators, magazine safety disconnects, manual safeties or cleaning protocols that do not require a trigger pull. Remarkably many guns, including Glocks, require that the trigger be pulled for disassembly and cleaning, leading …
SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021
Thomas Ivy, age 18, of Des Moines, Iowa, accidentally shot and killed Elijah Brown-Townsend, age 15, while handing him a gun. The two were in a vehicle parked at a convenience store when the accident occurred. Ivy was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Source: Amber Mohmand, “18-year-old Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter in Death of …
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
After investigating, police determined that a man found shot on the street in South Sioux City, Iowa had accidentally shot himself. The man had been taken by two good Samaritans to a local hospital. He is not facing charges. Nor will the unidentified man pay, apparently, for the various police and health care resources triggered …
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
In Ottumwa, Iowa, Brian Rainey, an off-duty deputy sheriff for the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed in a gun accident. Authorities say he was shot in the torso. According to the Ottumwa police, the shooting was accidental. They have not said who fired the gun that killed Rainey. Other details of the …
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020
The local sheriff’s office is investing the accidental shooting death of a male “juvenile” in Kalona, Iowa. The boy was found dead when police responded to a 911 call. No further information about the circumstances of the shooting have been released. Source: Mike Bunge, “Investigation Underway Into Deadly Kalona Shooting,” KIMT3 (June 20, 2020).
SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020
17-year old Ishmael Muhammad of Des Moines, Iowa was struck by a bullet in a local residence today when someone accidentally fired an illegal handgun. He later died of the wound. According to police, residents initially said that Muhammad had arrived at the home having already been shot. After an investigation, police charged a 16-year …
MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020
In Maquoketa, Iowa, a 20-year old man falsely claimed that he was shot in the abdomen by an unknown assailant outside his home. Upon investigation, police learned that he accidentally shot himself. The wounded man, Thomas A. Detro, “admitted in an interview that he walked outside with a revolver and fired multiple ‘warning’ shots into …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020
41-year old Brian McManemy of Blairstown, Iowa was shot in the leg when one of the guns in the vehicle in which he was riding discharged. He was transported to a Cedar Rapids hospital. Mr. McManemy was coyote hunting at the time of the accident. He was a passenger in a vehicle driving through a …
MONDAY DECEMBER 9, 2019
The Associated Press reported that it had gathered reports of 1,422 unintentional gun discharges by police since 2012 at 258 different law enforcement agencies. It called its information gathering a “snapshot” of the problem because there are no reporting requirements for such incidents. The reports document all incidents in which a gun went off when …